Robot Visions (Paperback)

~ (Author), Ralph McQuarrie (Author) "I suppose I should start by telling you who I am..." (more)
Key Phrases: first robot story, etheric physics, selenium pool, Susan Calvin, Stephen Byerley, Hyper Base (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

NAL launches its new SF imprint, ROC, with a collection of 18 of Asimov's ( Foundation ) robot stories. The earliest tales here, written from 1940 to 1960, remain among the most-loved in the field, the best being "Little Lost Robot," about a robot who obeys an order to "get lost." "The Bicentennial Man" (1976) about one robot's desires and efforts to be first free, then equal, is the quintessential robot-as-man's-mirror story. The book concludes with brief essays offering companionable commentary on the history of robots in fiction, the Frankenstein complex, the origin of Asimov's famous Three Laws and the author's own surprise at the emergence of robots during his lifetime.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

From the writer whose name is synonymous with the science of robotics comes five decades of robot visions-36 landmark stories and essays, plus three rare tales-gathered together in one volume

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Roc; 4th printing edition (July 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451450647
• ISBN-13: 978-0451450647
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,151 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine collection, September 12, 2003

By	John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Silver Lake, OH) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Like its companion _Robot Dreams_, this collection is in part an excuse to feature the haunting illustrations of Ralph McQuarrie and partly a well-chosen selection of the Good Doctor's short writings.

However, unlike _Robot Dreams_, this one really does concentrate on robots. It also includes a good chunk of Asimov's nonfiction on the subject -- and (unlike Heinlein) Asimov wrote very good nonfiction too.

Two things you should know before you buy this:

(1) It includes most of the contents of _I, Robot_, but not all -- and it also doesn't include the frame story (the interview with Susan Calvin). So even if you buy this, you'll still have to get _I, Robot_ if you don't already have it.

(2) It includes the robot stories that _aren't_ part of _I, Robot_ -- among them the very best Susan Calvin story, "Galley Slave".

At any rate, no Asimov fan will want to be without this one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of stories & Asimov's thoughts on robots, November 10, 2004

By	John A. Dodds (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a companion book to "Robot Dreams," but unlike that book, all the stories in "Robot Visions" are actually about robots. Six of the stories also appear in the collection "I, Robot." The stories were written over a wide range of time, from 1940 to 1989, and they reflect the character of their times. (The way to check when a particular story was written is to look at the copyright page at the front of the book.) The stories cover a range of issues well, mostly hinging on the three laws of robotics that Asimov quotes and uses repeatedly. One might think going back to the well like this would result in repetetive stories, but that is not the case at all; robots are involved in these stories in jobs as mundane as checking galleys for publication to jobs as unforgiving as performing microsurgery, and in all cases Asimov carefully considers how the humans and robots--each acting on their motivations (the robots' is hardwired, of course)--interact with each other and the situations they are confronted with. One stands out: "The Bicentennial Man," about a robot who was unusually creative, and over a period of decades acts on his desire to become more independent and acquire more rights, going so far as to replace his robotic systems with organic ones in an attempt to become closer to being human.

The book includes a number of essays by Asimov about how he sees robots in the future, how he conceived of them in past stories, and what issues will crop up as mechanical intelligences become reality. These essays were written in the '70s and 80s, some apparently for American Airlines' in-flight magazine (again, check the copyright page). These essays are each relatively short, making them good bedtime reading when you're tired. The short stories earlier in the book vary in length, so they don't work as well for that purpose.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, May 18, 2000

By	Balerion - See all my reviews

This book is a great collection of Asimov's robot stories. Robot Visions was intended to be a companion to Robot Dreams. Both collections have older stories with a few new ones written for the book. You can really tell how Asimov thought about his beloved creation, the robots. The various stories show every point of view possible, from a robot's view or a man's. In the back of the novel, Asimov wrote several essays explaining his views on robotics. Definately a pleasurable read, whether you are a sci-fi fan or not.